Petals in the Moonlight: Ichigo x Orihime
by sailor jaeger
Summary: Ichigo and Orihime both love each other and want to protect one another but how long can they both suppress their feelings for each other? [AU]


_Oh no, class is about to start. I hope Kurosaki-Kun isn't late again._

The young girl with long, auburn hair was once again caught adrift in her thoughts. Her name is Orihime Inoue, she's a high school junior. Ever since 6th grade, she was infatuated with the orange haired delinquent, Ichigo Kurosaki. He had a bad reputation but a kind heart and Orihime was smart and beautiful, but a klutz all the same.

At the ring of the school bell, the door violently slid open and a young boy with bright orange hair scurried through. He sat down angrily next to a petite girl with raven hair.

"Another fight with the Miyashita boys?" the girl asked rhetorically, noticing him wiping blood off his cheek.

"What else, Rukia?" a tall, muscular boy with red hair retorted.

"I never asked you, Renji!" Rukia snapped as she slapped him at the back of the head.

"It's none of your business" Ichigo said as he wiped the blood on the side of his pants.

"It is too!" Rukia said, "Don't make me tell Papa Isshin what's up-"

"Don't call him that just because you get to live wit-"

"Hey! Kurosaki and company," Sensei yelled "Pipe down, will ya? I have a lesson to teach"

"Sorry, Sensei" the three grunted as Sensei turned back around to teach her lesson.

Rukia had been living with the Kurosaki's since her freshman year since her family lives in Tokyo. Orihime had to admit, she was jealous. But Ichigo saw Rukia as more of a sister than anything else. They were practically family anyway.

_**Chez Kurosaki,**_** evening.**

"Dinner's ready, guys!" Yuzu belted out through the whole house as everyone rushed to the table.

They sat down and there was nothing but the clanking sounds of ceramic and metal brushing against each other. Isshin decided to break the silence and the glare that stood between Ichigo and Rukia.

"How was school, you two?" he asked, smiling.

"Well, it would have gone better if Ichigo didn't-"

"It was alright" Ichigo said, interrupting Rukia.

"Okay, well, on with my story, Ichigo's been getting into a lot of fights lately, Papa Isshin" she said, wide eyed and pouting.

"DON'T CALL HIM THAT" Ichigo argued as his two sisters watched carefully. "AND THEY'RE NOTHING, DON'T GET UP IN MY BUSINESS, RUKIA."

"I just wanted to-" she said, knowing she made the mistake of bringing this up.

"Whatever, Rukia. I'm going to my room" he replied coldly. Then he got up and went towards his room, slamming the door behind him.

The silence returned to the table.

"I'm sorry about that, Rukia" Isshin apologized for his sons misbehavior, "you know how he gets"

"I know, I was just concerned" she said softly, "Please excuse me, I'll be headed to my room now."

Rukia went off to her room and quickly ran for the phone to dial Renji's number.

"Renji, I'm going to your place. Be there in 10 minutes" she exclaimed, then quickly hung up.

She hurriedly got her coat and rushed out the door.

_Ding-dooong~_

"I wonder who that could be, hmmm, and this late at night?" asked a strange, tall man rhetorically.

"Stop wondering and just answer the door, will you?" replied a beautiful woman, with long violet hair and tan skin.

"Alright, Yoruichi deeear" Urahara said as he went for the door.

Urahara Kisuke and Yoruichi Shihoin acted as Renji's foster parents but ended up keeping him and putting him through school, in exchange for Renji doing petty chores around the house.

The door opened to reveal Rukia, standing in the cold with teary eyes. But just before Urahara was able to greet the young lady, Renji rushed out the door and took Rukia by the hand and hurried off towards the park.

"Be back before midnight!" Urahara exclaimed as he watched the two walk off.

"Why'd you call? And what's up with the tears?" Renji chuckled.

"I don't know what's going on with Ichigo and you know, I could help him but he's not cooperating and-"

"It'll take some time for him to cool down and besides, he's Ichigo, ha. I'm pretty sure that whatever he's dealing with, he can handle" he said, comforting the worried girl.

"Come on, I'll walk you home." Renji offered as she nodded in reply.

"No, stop! Moe, I don't want to do this- Stop!" they heard a voice yelling out from an apartment complex, the voice sounded so familiar so the duo went to check out what was going on.

"Moe, please stop! Get off of me" the girl sounded even more worried than ever.

"Hey!" Renji yelled and the troubled woman turned towards the sound to reveal that she wasn't just a troubled woman, it was their dear friend, Orihime.

The beautiful, young lady had been stalked and harassed by Miyashita boys ever since the beginning of their junior year. But Orihime never did anything about it, she was used to being bullied so she thought.

But this time, Moe, one of the rowdy Miyashita boys, took it too far by waiting outside her apartment, drunk and violent.

"Get off of her!" Renji exclaimed, rushing towards the boy who was hurting Orihime but just in time, Ichigo appeared right before Orihime, taking Moe down in one blow.

"It all makes sense now" Rukia thought to herself "he just wanted to fight for her"

"Kurosaki-kun... I'm sorry" Orihime said softly. "Don't be sorry, Inoue. I told you to call me whenever they were messing with you anyway."

"Thank you, Kurosaki-kun" she stuttered.

"No problem, Inoue. You have me on speed dial in case this happens again, ok? Besides, what were you doing out this late?" he wondered.

"Well, I seem to have run out of red bean paste and I couldn't sleep without a jar just in case I get midnight munchies" she chuckled.

"Oh, typical Inou-"

"I believe I deserve an explanation now" Rukia exclaimed, looking as if she were about to charge towards Ichigo with Renji holding her back.

"Tell me what's going on, Ichigo" she yelled, with her eyes tearing up. "I don't like it when you keep secrets from me, you're like my brother, Ichigo"

"Alright, alright" he retorted.

"Well, it started a few months ago, I saw a bruise on Inoue's wrist and I knew something was up so I had to ask her. She said it was nothing." he said as he clenched his fist.

"Then the next day, I saw Inoue by Miyashita and some guy pushed her against a wall and that's when I knew I had to do something. But even though I had to scare them off a few times, it won't stop those stubborn bastards from hurting Inoue." he uttered.

Rukia looked down with guilt, she felt as if she were a bad friend for not noticing Orihime's struggles. She went up to Orihime and hugged her.

"We'll get them, I promise we will" Rukia said.

"Thank you, Rukia" she smiled.

"You'll be alright now, Inoue?" Ichigo asked concerned, "just call if you need anything"

After Orihime went back into her apartment, safe and sound. The three went off.

"Say, Ichigo" Renji said, "what's up with you being so concerned about Inoue?"

Ichigo's face lit up, "she's a friend" he replied

"It's gotta be more than that, dummy!" Rukia protested, "I saw the way you looked at her"

"What?! Naah, I just don't like it when my friends get hurt, okay? It's nothing more." he retorted.

"Haha, alright, Ichigo. And Rukia and I are 'just friends', haha." Renji crowed as Rukia elbowed his side.

"Inoue and I won't end up like you two! You two are nuts." Ichigo froze, realizing what he had just said.

He finally admitted his feelings for Orihime.

"Of course you won't, Ichigo" Rukia teased, "you two are just F-R-I-E-N-D-S"

_Shit. Not again. My heart feels all weird. This is why I avoided talking about her. As if thinking about her wouldn't drive me crazy enough_, Ichigo thought to himself.

_**And from then on, those feelings just grew stronger.**_

* * *

Ok, I know this is a bit more RenRuki than IchiHime but this is really just the start ok, there'll be more chapters, I promiseeeee  
Reviews are great, too!  
Follow Tumblr! s0ulwarrior & kawhyyyyy


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